There's no place like Sunnydale
by DazedConfused
Summary: When the Scoobies fall asleep and wake up in the film 'Wizard of Oz' they have to find out how to get out before it's to late.
1. Chapter 1

Feedback: Reviews and e-mails are always welcome

**Feedback**: Reviews and e-mails are always welcome. By the way if the person who reviewed Reconnecting is reading this then thank you for re-reading it and posting a review. No matter how long after I've posted a fic it's always fantastic to know people are still reading them and it made my day to know that.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any of the characters or the show, Joss Whedon and others do. The same goes for the film Wizard of Oz; I'm not altogether sure who owns it MGM? Any new characters are my own creation.

**Distribution**: If you would like to post this or any of my other fics' on your website please contact me first for permission.

**Notes:** Any views expressed are from my characters views points not my own. For example a drug addict prostitute is deemed worthless and beneath my bad guy. I don't share that belief; to me no one is worthless. Except for murders, rapist and paedophiles – they should all be strung up by their nether regions. Sorry, I don't know what came over me.

**There's no place like Sunnydale**

It was a cold and windy night, and at the outskirts of Sunnydale a group of weary warriors was emerging from a sewage drain. As the hard wind whipped at their faces they all winced and huddled tighter together, shielding themselves as best they could from the elements.

'Why can't demon's and monster's live someplace nice for a change? Why do they always have to live in scary caves, underground labyrinths and OH my favourite - sewage systems?' Xander moaned as he and his friends walked out of the dark and disgusting smelling tunnel.

'Yeah and if they explode why is it always sticky goo that always splatters you no matter where you stand' Willow joined in, removing a piece of demon flesh from her jacket while she talked. 'Why couldn't they explode into confetti or bubbles? Something nice.' She added wistfully.

'Because then I guess they wouldn't be that scary Will' Buffy said smiling at her bemoaning friends.

They all stood nonchalantly picking pieces of sticky flesh and wiping slime off themselves, cleaning up as best as they could. Xander finished checking himself over when he caught sight of a large part of an intestine draped over Cordelia's shoulder.

'I've heard of having a chip on your shoulder but that's ridiculous' Xander said as he gingerly removed the piece of intestine from Cordy's shoulder. The others all groaned at his comedic efforts and Xander gave them one of his wolfish grins, knowing it was lame but not caring. Cordelia who had up to then remained silent and still, shook as a tremor past through her body.

'No jokes Harris. Not now. I have blood, demon skin and parts of its organs all over me. I have human waste on my 150 dollar sneakers, on my trousers and. Even. On. My. Skin. So no jokes, no sarcasm, no witty banter, as I will never, _ever_, feel clean again. Now someone take me home so I can bleach myself clean.' Cordelia shoulders slumped and she looked physically and mentally exhausted.

'Damn I had five minutes of witty banter followed by a minute of sarcasm planned' Oz whispered to Willow, smiling. Willow gave him a little grin back, but on seeing the scything look Cordelia was directing their way they stopped smiling and Oz added quietly 'or maybe not'.

The group began to walk a long the muddy ditch that led to the steep slope that they had come down early. Buffy was in the lead and looked back over her shoulder at her friend's. Willow and Oz were murmuring to one another whilst holding hands and next came Cordy with her fists clenched and shoulders hunched. At the rear where Xander and Giles, walking closing together but not speaking, Buffy looked forward again. They all looked terrible, worn to the bone.

Buffy bit her lip, she knew that it was too much to ask of them, but they had already agreed. Plus she had been looking forward to this all week; she bounded up the inclined and awaited for the others to follow.

At the top of the slope was an open field of long grass and at the other end of the field there was the woods. This end of Sunnydale was untouched by man and here Mother Nature still ran the show. It was strange to think that on the other side of all those trees lay Malls, Suburbia, cars and people. And surrounding all of the nature and the Town was the almost endless barren desert. If she strained hard enough she could just make out the twinkling of lights that lit the main road that led back to Sunnydale. Buffy looked away from the lights and back towards the incline she had just climbed, from where she stood it looked as if the ground had suddenly disappeared and all that remained was a sharp drop off into the darkness beyond.

Then she heard a noise and the top of Willow and Oz heads appeared, with them standing there it was obvious that it wasn't a sheer drop but gradual, the pair helped each other up the remaining way and up on the grassy field above. Cordelia, Xander and Giles were behind them and reached the top at the same time, all five had found the dirt slope difficult to climb and Buffy felt herself flush. Her abilities were beyond second nature now, they had years ago become the norm and so she often forgot that things that came easily to her didn't to the others. Like how when running up the incline she hadn't even broken her stride but it had taken her friends twice as long and left them catching their breath.

'Guys I hope you haven't forgotten your promise' Buffy said, twirling the axe she had sliced and diced the demon with like it was a baton.

'What promise?' Xander asked looking confused as he searched his memory.

'You all promised to come back to my place and watch _Wizard of Oz_ with me.' Buffy said cheerily trying to ignore the open mouth look of alarm plastered on all their faces.

'Did we promise you that…really?' Willow asked nervously.

'Yep, look my mom's outta town and I'm all a lone. The Oz' is on cable tonight and you know it won't be on again until…next year…and you did promise' Buffy explained beseechingly hoping no one would bring up the existence of DVD's. Willow had already given in mentally and when she looked over at Oz, who could tell by is girlfriends' face that he would be going too, Cordelia gave a sigh of frustration.

'I'm sorry to ruin your sleepover plans but I have **crap** on me! So count me out.' Cordy said, folding her arms in front of her chest.

'I'm going. You guys have pillow fights at slumber parties right? It's like a rule or a sleepover law?' Xander asked grinning from Buffy to Willow, all excited as the countless sleepover fantasies he had had throughout his life replayed in his mind.

'Yeah, we also wear short silk negligees whilst we bounce up and down on a bed and hit each other with pillows that burst open and shower us in feathers' said Buffy.

'And we suddenly for no apparent reason decide to make out, you know the usual standard slumber party stuff.' Willow said casually. The three girls smiled at one another and suddenly realised that the men had all gone quiet. Cordelia looked at Xander's daydreaming expression and rolled her eye's, the right corner of Oz's mouth was pulled up in a smile and he looked slightly wistful, Willow nudged him playfully and he ducked his head looking abashed. Even Giles had been affected; he seemed to be staring at something off in the distance.

'Giles!' Buffy exclaimed surprised. Giles blinked and looked at the teenager's faces that were all turned towards him, he gave a small cough to clear his throat and said 'Ah Yes. Sorry just remembering a rather…enlightening night in my University dorm. So Wizard of Oz hmm?'

'Go G-man' Xander told Giles with pride.

Buffy raised her eyebrows at Giles before turning towards the others, trying to erase the image of a teen Giles getting his freak on.

'Come on guys. I have hot water, junk food and a movie…it'll be fun and we can all unwind together.' Buffy pleaded, whilst absentmindedly swinging the axe about, the nearest to her took a few steps back.

'Of course we'll come' Willow agreed, feeling to guilty after picturing Buffy sat home alone OD-ing on Oreos.

'I guess since we're all sharing a ride I'll come too, if I can be first in the shower!' Cordelia said exasperated, at this point just wanting to get into any one's shower; as long as she could get clean she was pass caring.

'Sure Cordy, I'll even lend you some steel wire cleaning pads and some detergent'. Answered back Buffy sweetly, she turned to face Giles and said 'Well?'

'As much as I would love to watch Wizard of Oz with you all, I regretfully must decline'

'Why?' She asked him.

'Because I'm a middle aged man who doesn't want to spend the rest of the night watching 'Wizard of Oz' at a slumber party'. Giles told her wearily, pushing the bridge of his glasses, so they sat higher on his nose.

'Well your lost' She said pretending to be haughty 'more popcorn for the rest of us' She said directing this to the others and smiling. Giles shook his head and rolled his eyes, mentally asking himself why he never got round to making friends his own age.

-

On the other side of town in a dark alley, and this being Sunnydale there were a few to go around, a man stood over the body of a young woman. She had been nothing more then crack addict whore; she was so far beneath him she hardly registered on his radar, yet, she had served a purpose. A missing whore wouldn't be missed for days…if ever and he doubted the police would care. With her blood he would be able to achieve his goal. A wide smile spread across his face, he pocketed the vile of blood he had collected from the corpse and then looked down at the lifeless body below him. The smile vanished as he thought of the Slayer, a stupid little girl just like the one below him, running the town. By the end of the night things would be different.

His name was Bartas he was a sorcerer who had come to the Hellmouth to drain and harness some of its power but within ten minutes of stepping foot in Sunnydale he had heard stories. It appeared that Sunnydale was already being run, by a Vampire Slayer called Buffy, what a name he thought with a sneer. But she did have power and he had learnt from sources that the Slayer and her friends always came out on top. That was why he had chosen his plan, in a one to one battle with the Slayer he knew that he would probably lose and defeat was unpleasant at the best of times let alone losing to a teenager girl called Buffy. So he would take her and her friends out of the equation and then he would be the King of Sunnydale. All would bow to the one who managed to defeat the Slayer.

He threw back his head and gave a deep throaty laugh, each Ha getting louder and more farfetched then the last, when he suddenly stopped.

'I will have to see about getting a Igor-like minion, the kind that are excellent at joining in at wild evil genius style laughter. Laughing like that alone, people will think I'm crazy. But then again I am talking to myself…no your only truly crazy when you except someone to answer back' At this he gave a chuckle that turned into a deep throaty laugh, he tipped his head back and the laugh grew, echoing down the alley. Then remembering why he stopped laughing in the first place his laughter died down and he cleaned his throat and was done. He tapped the vile of blood again and then without a backwards glance he stepped over the body of the dead girl, leaving the alley at a quick pace.

-

A few hours later at the Summer's residence the teenagers were all clean, warm and cosy. Buffy, Willow and Cordy were sat on the couch sharing a bowl of popcorn, the two guys were sat on the floor by their feet, reaching up every now and then for a handful of popcorn. It was nearly one am and they were all waiting patiently for the film to start on cable. Willow was sat in the middle of the other girls and was feeling slightly strange, it was like a tingling sensation in her stomach. Blinking the feeling was gone but the memory of it tugged at the corners of her mind. Cordy was to the left of Willow, the pj's she had borrowed belonged to Buffy and were a little on the small side, so she kept absentmindedly pulling the cuffs of her sleeves down. She too felt something odd but was unable to name the feeling that passed over her so quickly, she shrugged and reached over to the popcorn bowl on Willow's lap and grabbed a hand full.

An intro for the film was on and all five teenagers began to quieten down, as the film started Xander like out a whoop and they all laughed softly. The film began and they watched whilst nibbling on popcorn, every now and again one of them would say something to make the others laugh. They were all tired but suddenly they all felt dead tired, like the feeling you get when your just on the edge of sleep, a almost drugged feeling. Although the sensation was sudden in their minds they all put it down to being out late and being physically exhausted.

In his lair Bartas smiled into his mirror as he watched the five teenagers begin to fall under his spell. He had been watching them through his mirror for a few days now and knew of the slayers desire to watch the film tonight. Using the blood he had gotten early and other ingredients from other 'donors' he would soon show them a side of the film they had never seen before, a side they would never leave. He whispered ancient words in a forgotten tongue and let his fingertips graze the mirror's surface. Unseen by the teenagers a grey hazy smoke drifted in between them, and as they breathed it flowed into their mouths.

As Dorothy's house whirled around inside the tornado on the television the five friends found themselves so tired they could barely keep their eye's open. Suddenly the air around them felt heavy and thick, they each tried to take a deep breath and all of the unseen smoke entered their bodies and as one they all fell asleep.

Bartas watched through his mirror as the Slayer and her friends fell asleep, slowly the smoke engulfed them and became a large dark cloud. Bartas grinned triumphantly and whispered one word, so low it was almost as if he hadn't said anything at all. All of their mouths opened and the thick smoke emerged, it began to float to the television screen and when it reached the screen the television glowed white eerily as the smoke pasted into the television. Then the room was empty except for the five bodies, all unmoving and seemingly dead.

Bartas grinned grew wilder. Soon it would all be over, and Sunnydale would be his.


	2. Chapter 2

Buffy woke up and blinked, she then blinked several more times and then sitting up she rubbed her eyes profusely

Buffy woke up and blinked, she then blinked several more times and then sitting up she rubbed her eyes profusely. The reason for this was because when she had last been awake she had been in her living room sat on the couch with her friends. Now she was sat on a bed in what looked like a shack and everything wasn't the right colour everything looked faded like sepia, and as she caught sight of her own skin she realised that it wasn't just the room and the objects in it, she was coloured this way to. Her skin and clothes (not her own she registered hazily) were different shades of brown, she looking her around the room she felt as if she was trapped in an old faded photograph. Buffy's head and body ache as if she was getting over the flu, but in the back of her mind a voice put it down to being out in the rain all night, that still didn't explain where she was.

'_Okay', _thought Buffy as she stood from the bed and looked around,_ 'so maybe I'm still a sleep and this is just a really, really realistic dream'_. The room looked familiar but she couldn't place it, '_where am I?'_ She felt the answer hovering at the edge of her mind, every time she reached for it, it moved further away.

Buffy stood in the middle of the small room and slowly rotated all the way round taking everything in. As she did so, Buffy felt the ache leave her mind and body, making it easier for her brain to function. As she finished rotating she knew where she was. "I'm in Dorothy's room" Buffy said out loud, slightly baffled. She was still herself; in her own body but her clothes was what Judy Garland wore while singing her way through Oz. Buffy knew immediately that this was no dream; it was real, she didn't know how she had gotten here or technically where here was but this was definitely no dream. Her senses told her it wasn't a dream, her eyes, nose and ears all were attesting to the fact that this was all happening. But if she wasn't a sleep then what the hell was going on, living in Sunnydale meant that it could be a number of other things.

'What the? …You've got to be kidding me!' Said a voice, interrupting Buffy's thoughts. It had come from the bed she had just been asleep on.

Buffy took a step towards the bed and leaning over, gingerly pulled back the quilt cover to revel a small tiny face staring up at her, she felt all gooey inside and said in a cutesy voice that women reserve for animals and babies 'Toto'. The dog sat down and stared up at Buffy, a calm face with questioning eyes, apart from the dog looking exactly like Toto from the film, the dog's expression was curiously familiar. What with being dressed as Dorothy and finding Toto, Buffy had been rattled a little and so it wasn't till she looked at the dog's composure and eye's that she remember the voice she had heard. Buffy's mouth dropped open and slowly she moved her face closer to Toto's.

'Oz' She asked staring intently at the small dog.

'Hey Buffy, nice dress, oh and by the way why I'm I a DOG?' Oz's usually calm and levelled voice was full of stress and emotion, Buffy wasn't sure what was more shocking Oz as Toto, or Oz shouting. She fought the urge to pat his head and say 'there, there boy', because she might end up with less digits when she pulled her hand back, instead she pulled back her face from Oz's, his eyes never leaving her, she remembered to close her mouth and then she tired to get her brain back on track.

'Are you okay?' Buffy asked Oz, who dropped his head as if looking himself over for injuries.

'Fine…I feel fine. Buffy what happened to me' Oz lifted his doggy eyes and looked at Buffy and she could see his eyes soften, 'us I mean, what happen to us? Last thing I remember we were all watching Wizard of Oz and then…I can't remember. At first I thought I was dreaming but this all feels too real and you're here and you seem you, more then that I can smell you and everything else. What's going on?'

'This may sound crazy but I think that we're in the film. I know I'm not a sleep, I don't know if we did this ourselves somehow or if some baddie out there is plotting against us, for all I know those demon guts that we were covered in could have been magical and that's how we ended up in here. I'm not the smart figuring out girl, that's Willow's area of expert...' Buffy broke off the word suddenly seemly staring off into the distance.

'Buff?' Oz asked standing and moving towards the end of the bed so he was nearer his friend.

'We were watching the film together, it makes sense that all of us are here…Willow, Xander and Cordelia are probably here too.'

'I guess it makes sense. I can't think of why it would just be us here, so what are we waiting for.' Oz said jumping of the bed and trotting towards the bedroom door.

Buffy saw something out of the corner of her eye and smiled; if she was going to be Dorothy she might as well go the whole nine yards. She opened the bedroom door with Oz at her heels and her wicker basket swinging from her hand. In the main part of the house Buffy stopped at the front door and held her breath. When she was little and saw Wizard of Oz for the first time she had been blown away by the Technicolour that exploded when the door had been opened, now in the film where everything was real and had dimensions Buffy knew that she was going to be blown away all over again.

'Ready' She asked looking down at Oz; he nodded his head and Buffy reached out and grabbed the knob, turned it and opened the door. Seeing all the colours after being in the world of sepia was like staring directly at the sun, Buffy had to blink several times before her eyes could adjust. Buffy and Oz stepped out into the World of Oz and took in the wonders of it all. It wasn't a film set that was clear from the start, where the camera should be was more of the Munchkin land, there was a bridge over a river with lily pads floating in it, flowers in the grass and on tree's, close by were small white circular houses with thatch roofs.

'This is so surreal' Oz said.

'We're not in Sunnydale anymore' Buffy intone with wonder as she looked at the amazing world of colour that surrounded them. She noticed that she too was in colour; She caught sight of her hair and pulled a pigtail in front of her face for closer examination, her hair was a deep brown it seem she'll have to be a brunette for this little adventure as Buffy doubted the land of Oz had peroxide. Buffy gazed dropped to Oz, and despite the situation they were in a huge smile lit up her face, and as if feeling her looking at him he glanced up.

'Hey your in colour...okay what are you smiling about?' He asked.

'Your ginger, I guess that's part of the spell or something, mixes our bodies with the characters we are. My clothes and brown hair, you dog-like and ginger, I wonder what happened to the others?'

As Buffy looked around she began to notice slight differences, true she hadn't seen the film in a while but there was an edge to their surroundings. It didn't look like the merry old Land of Oz; it looked in places more realistic, a little darker and realer then anything Buffy had seen when watching the film before.

'Maybe we aren't the only things that are different, if we've become more like Oz then maybe the place and the people here have become more like they would be in the real world.'

Before Toto-Oz could answer the pair were startled by a green ball of light that came hovering towards them, until they remember what came next in the film, they relaxed and watched as the orb grew bigger and changed into a pinkish colour, it grew to the size of a person and then Glinda the good witch of the North appeared.

'Nice entrance' Buffy said dropping her eyes to Oz who nodded his head in agreement.

'Hi, I'm the Good Witch of the North. I've come to welcome you and say thanks for killing the evil witch.' Glinda said this spiel fast, sounding as if she had other places she would rather be right now, and this wasn't one of them. She was dressed in a slinky figure-hugging gown that shimmered pink and didn't leave a whole lot to the imagination. Buffy knew what Glinda was supposed to look like and this wasn't it, the good witch looked more like a real life version of Jessica Rabbit.

'Well we didn't mean to, it was the house you ought to be thanking.'

'Yeah well, she was one Evil old cow' Glinda said examining her pink painted fingernails. 'She had the locals working in sweatshops making her own clothing line. They would like to say thank you by the way.' The good witch looked up from her nails at Buffy and from behind houses, trees and bushes Munchkins began to emerge.

The Munchkins came forward and encircled Buffy, Oz and Glinda. A male Munchkin stepped forward; he was wearing what looked like a trench coat and a fedora. Startled by his Bogart-esque get-up the pair looked at the other Munchkins in the crowd and could see that none were wearing the bright coloured outfits from the film. Whilst Oz was digging the pierced and mo-hawked Punk Rock Munchkins, Buffy was trying not to stare at a female Munchkin dressed in a tight short hooker skirt and tube top.

'Does this house belong to you Miss?' Asked the trench coat wearing Munchkin as he took a notepad from his pocket and gestured at the house with a pen.

'Well I guess so, why?' Asked Buffy.

'Your house has appeared to have killed the Wicked Witch of the East' He paused and for emphasis motion his head to the side of the shack and at the pair of legs poking out from underneath it, the owner of the legs had opted for tights with garish horizontal stripes of red and white and at the end of which were feet adorned with a pair of ruby slippers.

'It certainly looks that way,' Oz said quietly as he looked at the remains of the witch.

'I'm Detective Humble and although she was a very Wicked Witch, murder is still murder, I'll have to ask you to remain in the area for a while until the CSI team have gone over the crime-scene.'

Glinda gave a dramatic sigh and with her hand, open-palmed slapped the back of the Detective's head.

'Don't be an idiot, she didn't drop her house on the old bag of bones on purpose, did she? It was a freak-act of nature. Just like the old crone herself. Rule it as an accident,' and then with a threatening edge to her voice Glinda added, 'unless you want to test my patience?' The Detective gulped and nodded, he wrote something down in his notebook and disappeared back into the crowd.

'Hip-hip-hoorah!' Cried one lonely voice in the mob, trying to rally a cheer for the girl who had killed their repressor but all it stirred was a few sniggers from the crowd. The Munchkins had been on the bottom end of the food-chain in Oz for years now and what they had long a go learned was: don't bother to celebrate the end of a dictatorship because before long your saviour turns into a bigger asshole then the last.

'I'm Glinda the Good Witch of the North by the way'

'I'm B…Dorothy and this is my cute little dog Toto' Buffy said. She gave a shrug at the quizzical look Oz shot up at her. Why not play a long, it couldn't hurt _and_ she always wanted to be Dorothy when she watched the movie as a kid.

From out of nowhere there was an explosion of red smoke and there stood the Wicked Witch of the West. She was tall and had a string bean figure, her skin was green and her hair was pulled back into a tight and unflattering bun, she clutched a broomstick in her right hand. It was her eyes that commanded the most attention; they were black, no white or iris colour - just black. When Buffy had finished taking in the Witch she looked around and found the Munchkins had all disappeared back into the scenery again.

The witch stalked over to the house and examined her dead sister's legs, and then she spat on them.

'Real nice' Muttered Buffy.

The witch bent over and her eye's practically popped out at the sight of the Ruby slippers. Her gnarled looking hand went out to caress them.

'I don't think so!' Glinda said with venomous delight in her voice as she waved her magic wand and the shoes disappeared from the dead witch's feet. The now shoeless feet began to curl up like a party-popper all the way to the top of her legs, making bone-crunching sounds that made everyone in the area cringe, and then they disappeared under the house.

'My ruby slippers, where are my ruby slippers?' The Wicked Witch half pleaded have screamed at Glinda.

The Good Witch was smiling smugly, 'There safe, here on Dorothy, and they stay on her until she's pushing up daisies'

'That can be arranged' The evil witch cackled.

The Wicked Witch of the West turned on Buffy and sized her up. 'Come on then what do you what? Money? Power? You name it and we trade, you didn't want the slippers so why not trade them in for something you _do_ want?'

'Erm there's nothing I want. I'm good thanks,' Buffy said edging backwards.

'Don't toy with me girl, give me the ruby slippers or...'

'Or what?' Glinda asked hands on hips, clearly enjoying watching the other witch squirm. 'You can't _make her_ take them off, the only way for you to get the slippers is if Dorothy dies.'

Buffy rolled her eyes at the sky 'Gee Glinda, thanks for remaindering her, you might as well tattoo 'death slippers' on my forehead'. Buffy berated Glinda.

The evil witch fumed, she couldn't try to get the girl with the good witch standing right there. She cackled again, more for effect then finding anything actually humorous and pointed a long digit at Buffy. 'I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too.'

'Try it and I'll bite your ankles off lady.' Oz barked at the crone. The Witch frowned at them and then there was a loud bang and a giant explosion of red smoke. When the smoke ebbed away a few Munchkins popped their heads around houses, trees and shrubs. Everyone watched as the smoke finally cleared and there still stood the Wicked Witch of the West, she stamped her foot in angered.

'You know, you try and make a dramatic exit and it all falls through, give me a minute.' She hopped her leg over her broomstick and began running in a straight line until she picked up enough speed to become airborne, she flew up into the bright blue sky getting higher and higher until she was out of sight.

'That was bizarre' Buffy said to Oz who nodded in agreement.

'Sorry about sticking you with the shoes but I couldn't let that bitch of a witch get her sweaty feet in them' Glinda told Buffy.

'That's okay'. Buffy said feeling compensated for the unwarranted death threat, as she was pretty sure that the red shiny shoes were Manolo Blahniks.

'Yeah well, if you want out of the shoes and to try to find a way home I suggest you follow the yellow brick road that takes you to the Emerald City and there find the Wizard of Oz. I've never met the dude but apparently he knows his shit.' Glinda told them whilst adjusting her cleavage.

Buffy looked down and saw the beginning spiral of the yellow brick road, she went to the very beginning of the road and began walking, she looked up to see the Glinda and the Munchkins all looking at her like she was visiting from a nearby institution.

'What?'

'Well it's just you don't have to start at the very beginning, that parts more art-deco then anything, why bother going around in circles when the main part of the road is just other there?' Glinda said to Buffy, who followed the other woman's stare and found the yellow brick road stretching out and away from Munchkin land.

'Well okay I was going for authenticity, but whatever' Buffy muttered to Oz as she stomped over to the straight part of the road, Oz trotting along behind her. She got a few waves and a nod from Glinda and the Munchkins and then they where off, Buffy humming 'We're off to see the Wizard' under her breath.

They walked for some time, the ruby slippers and Oz's toenails clip-clopping against the yellow bricks as they went. Before long, fenced off fields of wheat and corn began to appear beside them. Buffy could see a junction up a head and kept her ears open, as if on cue a muffled shout came from a field of corn on their right followed by 'get your feathered-ass outta here'.

'Xander!' Buffy and Oz said together.

They ran (and trotted) over to the field and Buffy easily vaulted over the top of the white fence as Oz crouched and shuffled under the lowest beam. They found Xander at once; he was pretty hard to miss. He had been tied with rope on to a cross of wood, crows were landed on the beam and one was perched on his head. It was his appearance that caught Buffy's breath; her friend had been literally turned into a scarecrow. Where there should be skin was now cloth and straw stuck out in various places from under his raggedy clothes and more alarming peeking out from under his skin of cloth. Weirdly his mouth, eyes and nose looked perfectly normal, it was as if someone had put the sack over his head and then cut out pieces so he could see and breathe.

'Xander, hold on' Buffy said waving her basket in the air at the birds perched on him. The birds, spooked, took off in flight, giving angry squawks at being so rudely interrupted. With the birds dispatched, Buffy went and untied the ropes around Xander's legs.

Xander's mood had lifted, his face ' Buffy am I glad to see you, I've been hung up here forever and oh yeah I appear to be one match away from becoming the _'Human Torch'_, what the hell is going on?'

'We're in the film Xander, each of us has been changed to fit a character' Oz told him as Buffy untied the rope tied around Xander's waist.

'Oz?' Xander exclaimed looking down at the dog in amazement.

'Yeah I know I'm cute and fluffy' Said Oz sitting down on his back legs.

'Yeah, well I've always thought so' Xander told Oz who smiled a doggy-smile up at Xander.

'So Buffy you nearly…' Xander started to ask Buffy as she untied the last rope wrapped around his neck, resulting in Xander falling face first, flat on to the ground. He raised his head a fraction and saw Oz's doggy face come close to his own. 'He looks ok' Oz told Buffy.

'…Done' Xander finished is earlier sentence, before picking himself off the ground and brushing the newer dirt off his already unclean clothes.

'Sorry about that' Buffy said awkwardly holding out a handful of straw that had come dislodge from some part of Xander's body. He took the straw from her and shoved it under his shirt and moulded it until his stomach looked okay.

He lifted his gaze from his stomach to find Buffy and Oz staring at him in awe.

'It's nothing, it's weird but nothing. I feel like me, exactly like I did before this happened. I don't seem to have any bones, or organs, or blood, or anything. As far as I can tell I'm made up of wood, straw and cloth. I woke up in a barn and totally freaked out. I had about ten minutes to check myself over before the door opens and I decided to play dead so I could buy some time. This man, the farmer I'm guessing comes over picks me up like I'm made of nothing, which seems to be the case, brings me out here and puts me on the cross. I was just planning my escape when you happened along.'

'Look as weird as this is, you shouldn't panic, we're going to the Emerald city to find the Wizard and a way out of here, and on the way we better keep a look out for Willow and Cordy because if we're here then so are they.' Buffy said in a forceful and reassuring tone, trying not to focus on the fact her plan consisted on finding a Wizard in Emerald city.

'You're right, I shouldn't panic until I'm made up of flammable substances – oh no too late!' Xander speedily told Buffy waving his arms in the air and miserably watched as a few loose ends of straw came loose from the ends of his sleeves and softly floated down to the ground.

'Come on Xander, you've had worst things happen to you' Buffy said trying to comfort him.

'Sadly that statement is true. What's the world coming to when I end up 80 percent straw and it's not even on my top 5 worst things ever list.' Xander gave a sigh, he decided to buck-up and get on with things. Buffy was right, the sooner they found the girls they could start to work out what the hell was going on. 'Lets find the others,' He told his friends and together he and Buffy followed Oz to the fence and the yellow brick road beyond.

As they walked down the road and away from the field Xander's voice carried back to the crows 'If it wasn't for Jar-Jar Binks being number 5, I'm pretty sure that this would have made the list' the echoing voice in the stillness of the day scared the swooping crows, causing them to fly away.


	3. Chapter 3

The three friends had been walking for about twenty minutes along the yellow brick road, lost in their own thoughts, only occasionally breaking the comfortable silence to point something out or make idle chit-chat.

'I can't believe were stuck in a musical, thank God we're not breaking into song every couple of minutes.' Xander said trying his hardest not to skip along the road as his character did in the movie.

'I'm just glad we weren't watching some gory slasher movie, I get enough of that in real life' said Oz.

'Yeah, I'm just glad we weren't watching Glitter. Just because you know, it sucked.' Buffy said swinging the basket in her hand as she practically bounced down the road, thankfully they weren't any vamps or demons about because skipping along with pig-tails and a little girl out-fit probably wouldn't instil that much fear into the Sunnydale demonic populace.

As they walked along they heard a rumble followed by a growl, two sets of eyes looked down at Oz 'Hey don't look at me' he told them. The noise came again and this time three sets of eyes travelled to Buffy's stomach, and the slayer suddenly felt empty inside. They looked up to see a clump of trees up a head.

'Allow me Xander said in a posh British accent, bowing to Buffy before heading over to the trees.

'Wait Xander!' Buffy called out to him in warning but stopped as Xander began picking apples and nothing happened. Buffy had been waiting for the trees to come to life and start grabbing at Xander, but the trees stayed still and so Buffy joined him. He handed Buffy an apple and she bit into it, it was lovely and juicy. He had three more apples in his arms and was handing another over to Buffy when there was a swishing noise. From out of nowhere a branch swooped down and grabbed Xander by the waist and hauled him up in the air.

Buffy jumped backwards out of reached from the trees branches that were either trying to grab her or swot her away like a fly. As she got a safe distance away from the tree she looked to see that all the other tree's limbs and vines were grabbing around them trying to find the intruders who had awoken them. Oz was crouched low on his back heels away from the danger; Xander on the other hand was up high in the tree. His back was pressed against the trunk of the tree and the tree's branches were wrapped around him like rope, holding him in place. Buffy remembering the film's storyline began throwing apples at the tree.

'Gee, thanks Buffy' Said Xander as the first apple hit him square in the chest, the other apples hit parts of the trunk and the bigger branches but it didn't seem to have any effect on the tree or it's grip on Xander.

Buffy couldn't rip the branches from the tree, not without stopping in one place long enough for them to grab her, so what then? Buffy thought for a second and then looking at Xander shouted 'I'll be right back' and then she ran as fast as she could through the forest. Xander would have asked her to hurry, but as the tree's grip on his chest was getting tighter and tighter he was finding it hard to breath. It crossed his mind that he didn't at this moment in time have lungs and he was sure he would laugh about it later unless he was you-know dead or a wicker basket.

Buffy ran, jumped and dived through the air to escape getting grabbed up by all of the trees' branches. She kept on going till she found a clearing; in the clearing was an old looking cottage. Buffy ran up to the frozen figure, guessing in advance who it was and grabbed the axe out of her hand.

'Cordelia, I'll be right back to help you but we've all become characters from _The Wizard of Oz_ and Xander is the scarecrow and the tree's have come to life and grabbed him, so I'm just gonna borrow your axe and then I'll be right back, I promise.' Buffy rushed barely taking a breath, before taking off back to the trees to save Xander.

At that moment Cordelia Chase would have liked to be able to say so many things, many of them were four letter words. She would have even loved to be able to raise her eyebrows or at least one eyebrow in a bitchy/frosty/sardonic manner, but as she was unable to move and couldn't make a snide remake at Buffy she took comfort that Xander was worst off at that moment then her. She loved Xander she really did, but if it weren't for him she wouldn't presently be the Tin man. Or women. Whatever.

As Buffy raced back towards Xander she felt a pang of remorse at having to leave Cordelia back there all a lone but she knew she didn't have a choice. When she reached the trees Oz was running around in circles dodging branches and barking viciously at the tree that held Xander aloft in it's limbs. With one swift motion Buffy swung the axe at the main branch holding her friend and Xander was dropped to the ground.

'You'd think that with all the practise I'm getting I'd start to learn to fall with more grace.' Xander intoned picking himself up and grabbing a handful of straw that had fallen out and ramming it back in. Buffy meanwhile swung at few more branches, inflicting as much damage as she could, then she stopped.

'Now me and friends here are going to walk out of here and your not going to stop us, unless you want to make friends with Mr. Axe here' Buffy waved the axe at her side and it gleamed in the Sun. The trees suddenly became still and as one the branches of all the trees moved returning to their normal positions, so the path was clear and with all the trees looking 'normal' again the three moved wearily among them until they were out of range of their grips.

'How'd you like them apples' Xander said grabbing a apple from the floor and taking a bite from it.

'Xander sweetie, don't provoke the tree's. Or do impersonations of Matt Damon.'

'Really, I thought I had the whole Boston accent down.' Buffy gave a little 'no way' shake of the head 'What about my _Taxi Driver,_ Robert DeNiro, that's good right?' This was met by silence.

Buffy led the others back towards Tin-Cordy, filling them in along the way about their rusted friend. When they reached her, Cordy took in the crowd and her eyes widen in disbelief. She wasn't able to see her whole appearance, just parts, so suddenly seeing Scarecrow Xander and Toto Oz, well it was bit of a shock. Buffy picked up the small nearby can of oil and began oiling Cordy's leg and arm joints.

Whilst she was oiling Cordy Xander rearranged some straw and couldn't help but pick up on the hostile vibe that Cordelia was sending his way, great on top of everything he was going to get bitched at by his girlfriend. Buffy finished oiling Cory's neck and then moved the can towards Cordy's mouth, Xander shot out a hand and took the oil can from Buffy.

'Hey Buff, you sure you wanna do that? I mean a few more hours of Cordy not talking…' Cordy snatched the can away from Xander with her newly oiled arm and with a small degree of difficulty oiled her own mouth. It was so strange that it felt like her body, but gone were her long, slender, graceful limbs and in their place were stiff, clunky pieces of metal.

'Hey I was only kidding,' said Xander as Cordy handed back the can of oil to Buffy who put it carefully into her basket. Cordy meanwhile surveyed the group.

'What the hell happened to us, and how do we get back to normal.' For a second she felt a sharp stab of terror. 'Please say we can get back to normal, I mean what if we end up stuck this way!' Her voice quicken in panic, she then wondered, just like Xander did earlier, why could she feel panic and her pulse beating over time if she was just an empty shell of metal.

'Yeah Buff, me and Cordy are like my action figures!' His voice raised an octane louder as he got caught up in Cordy's panic.

'What plastic?' she asked.

'No, we're missing all our best parts.' Xander said. Unbeknownst to the others under his baggy tramp-like trousers he had embarrassingly enough arranged some straw between his legs just for his own sanity, and couldn't help but look over at Cordy and see her flat smooth Metal chest.

'Look I swear that I'll get us back to Sunnydale and back to normal, ok? You guys have to trust me.' Buffy felt the familiar weight of responsibility pressing down on her shoulders. Was it fair she wondered, fair that she should be the one always to be in charge, to be the leader to carry the weight of the world when she was just a teenage girl. But that wasn't all she was, she was also the Chosen Blah, Blah, Blah, and when it came to her friends half the time it was her fault that they were in any kind of danger to begin with. So as she always did she brushed aside the feelings of self-pity and carried on. 'Okay so in the film the Tin man's house was near the yellow brick road so we should be close to it and once we get there we follow it till we find Willow' Buffy told them picking up the axe she had put down earlier when oiling Cordy, liking the way it felt natural and at home in her hand.

Before Buffy could lead the others to the yellow brick road the group were scared by a loud cackling laugh, Buffy's shoulders hunched up to her ears, she remembered that laugh. The four turned and looked up to see stood on the cottage was the Wicked Witch.

'Look lady, the shoes are not for sale. Get over it already!' Buffy bellowed to the green skinned woman.

'Their mine by right.'

Cordy couldn't help but check out the Ruby slippers and on seeing the designer shoes she couldn't help but gasp.

'Yeah and with the whole black dress and pointy hat those shoes so wouldn't go with your outfit, or your skin tone.' Cordy informed the Witch.

'How dare you, you little fool. When I'm through with Dorothy here I'll take you to the nearest scrap metal yard and crush you into a cube. And that little pooch will be put into a sack and dropped into the nearest river.' She gave a cackle at her own wickedness before she turned on Xander. 'And you Scarecrow, need a light?' She asked conjuring a ball of flame and shooting it at Xander.

The flames landed at his feet and Xander jumped away screaming, 'Drop and roll, DROP AND ROLL' as he threw himself away from the flames and began rolling.

As the Witch cackled at Xander's drama, Buffy and Cordy were using the flat edge of the axe and a nearby rock to quench the flames. When the flames were out Buffy and Cordy stood, there was a loud bang drawing their attention back to the Witch, still cackling, she was engulfed by thick red smoke. But when the smoke cleared instead of disappearing she was still stood there.

'This is just getting to be embarrassing.' She muttered to herself, before she climbed off the back of the cottage. They managed to catch a glimpse of her running off into the thick trees and disappearing.

The girl's attention was drawn back to Xander who was still on the floor rolling and shouting 'Drop and Roll'

'Err Xander buddy. Your not on fire.' Oz said as he stood by Xander's head. Xander stopped rolling and turned on his side so he could look Oz in the eye. 'You sure?'

'Your not on fire Xander' Cordy said reaching down and taking his hand she helped pull him to his feet.

Buffy gave a scowl in the direction that the Witch had made her escape, wanting to run after her and hit her or something else equally violent. Instead Buffy took a second to get calm and when she felt less aggressive she turned her back to the cottage. She sat off towards where she guessed the yellow brick road to be, the others following her. They found the road pass a few trees, and the group began to walk along the yellow brick road at a steady pace.

'So Willow I'm guessing is gonna be the Cowardly Lion, right?' Oz asked trotting by Buffy's right side.

'That's what I'm thinking' Buffy said not looking down at Oz but keeping a even strong stride, as they at last emerged from the trees to find themselves beside the yellow brick road.

'So, are we sure that Willow is going to be you know, Willow, and not an actually real Lion?' Cordelia asked as they followed the yellow brick road.

'None of us are 100 percent the characters and even though Oz is a dog he's still has all the same old Oz qualities.'

'Except now I have a few odd urges…itching myself with my back leg, barking at danger, the increasing urge to wag my tail...but compared to the werewolf kind of urges, these I can live with.'

'As long as Willow resists the urge to hunt and devour her prey, I'm sure we'll all get along fine.' Buffy told them as the she secretly wondered if Willow would be a tame house cat or a jungle predator.

They didn't have to ponder for too long before the woods became thicker and denser, almost crowding around the yellow path. From the forest came birds calling to one another, monkeys swinging from vines and screeching and a distressed lion yowling in misery.

'That's our girl' Buffy said as they all rushed forward towards a huge fallen tree that laid in front of them blocking the road. Oz picked up his speed and went around the fallen tree getting to the other side first, followed quickly by Buffy. Cordelia was ambling as fast as she could but she was so stiff that all she could manage was to speed walk, Xander walked quickly beside her, oiling her joints as they went.

They all abruptly stopped on seeing Willow. A female lion sat there, an actual lion, but instead of sandy coloured coat it was the same shade of red as Willows hair colour. Sensing eyes on her Willow turned towards the group and at once stopped crying. With joy she leap at them, knocking them to the ground. Luckily for her she accidentally pinned Buffy's axe wielding arm otherwise they could have been a cat-mishap. She lost control and against her better instincts began licking their faces, she was just _sooo_ glad to see them.

'Ok, OK Will' Buffy said gently pushing the cat off of her and the others doing the same.

'You guys! I can't believe it. This is so unbelievable. Actually,' Willow interrupted herself after quickly thinking about what she had just said 'given our collective past history it's totally believable. So alright fill me in on what's going on.'

The others all told their individual tales of waking up and how Buffy and Oz and come upon Xander and then Cordy. Willow in turn told her friends how she had awoken to find herself in a clearing in the forest and how she went crazy at finding herself in an animal's body. She was able to rationalise that since it was real then it must be some kind of spell or if not real then something that made it feel real. She then ventured away from the clearing and into the forest, on finding a stream she gone to it for a drink of water but had paused half way when she saw her reflection. On seeing a Lioness looking back at her was strange and the fact that she scream and a yowl came out scared her even more. She soon realised she could talk but that other animals she met couldn't.

'There was this bear and it was huge and I said _'hi'_ and then I tried talking to him, it, she…but all it did was get angry and started chasing me. I was able to out run the bear but then I found the yellow brick road I got more confused and I felt all alone and scared and I just wanted you guys and there I sat until you came' She finished her story, completely happy now at being reunited with her friends.

'Were altogether now Will, and maybe now, _we_, meaning _you_, can begin to figure out what the Hellmouth is going on here.' Buffy was kneeling in front of her friend trying not to think it was cool being this close to a wild animal and not being eaten.

'I've come up with a few idea's, but the one that makes the most sense it a transportation spell, kinda anyway. See I think this is a run of the mill transportation spell that's been amped up, and then it's been melded with another spell to make it more dangerous. Transportation spells do exactly that; they move a person or object to another point in time. But if my figuring is right we haven't simply moved from one place i.e. Sunnydale to say Paris. We've moved from Buffy's house in our reality, into the TV, and _Wizard of Oz_. Not only that but I don't think we've moved, our bodies I mean. Our souls were the things transported in the body of the films characters somehow changing them and I guess from what you've told me, being here has also made _Oz_ slightly more realistic.'

'You got all that in between finding out you were a cat, nearly being eaten by a bear and crying. I got as far as, bad juju.' Said Buffy glumly.

'So now what?' Cordy asked the group at large.

'How do we get out, you mean. Well, I think it's best to play along, but I would be careful it could be that if we get badly hurt or you know dead, here, we could die in real life.' Willow said as she bent to nuzzle her nose with Oz.

'So I guess where off to see the Wizard' said the Slayer.


	4. Chapter 4

The gang hummed '_We're off to see the Wizard'_ as they followed the yellow brick road, through his mirror Bartas watched, a frown creasing his brow. They were moving along at a quicker pace then he had imagined. He had hoped it could be resolved without spilling blood, not that he minded the blood, but it always cost so much in dry-cleaning.

Bartas had thought that after waking up in a strange land the teenagers would be frighten, fighting amongst themselves and not clever enough to figure out the why and the how. But much to his annoyance they had banded together and were close to finding out how to get out. The red headed one was right; it had been their souls he had transported. If the film ended whilst they were still inside their souls would be trapped forever and there bodies would be found lifeless, and disposed of.

He hadn't countered on them knowing so much about the craft and being so in control, so now he would have to go over to the Slayers house and slit their throats, without their bodies they could never return. He felt the laugh bubbling in the back of his throat, fighting to get out.

"What the Hell" He said throwing back his head and laughing like a lunatic, he was too excited to care about looking crazy.

* * *

Back in the Land of Oz, the Wicked Witch was also watching the progression of the girl and her friends. It wasn't fair, they didn't even seem fazed by her at all. _Why don't they fear me_? Over come with rage she crowded over her magic crystal ball. "Fear me, for I am the bringer of _Doom_!" she let out a sigh and collapsed backwards in a gothic high back throne, really it was a grand faux-gothic dinning chair she had found at a garage sale but throne just sounded more impressive.

"What's happening, I use to be feared all over Oz, now I can't even make a small girl give me a pair of shoes, a pair of shoes, damn it!" The Witch was speaking to her head Flying Monkey, also known as Mike.

"You known you're about to start a war campaign over a pair of shoes" Mike said grabbing a flea from his fur and eating it.

"But there really nice shoes" She whined, trying to ignore his grooming habits.

As she watched the travellers come out of the forest and to the edge of a poppy field, the Witch let a slow smile play on her mouth. Leaning forward she whispered into the crystal ball "Sleep my pretty, sleep. Now they'll sleep." She let out a cackle and Mike being the enabler that he his started to jump up and down, letting out monkey screams.

* * *

In the real world Bartas looked on with envy as the Wicked Witch and the flying monkey laughed in unison, maybe he shouldn't get an Igor-type, maybe a flying monkey was the way to go. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and grabbed a nearby fountain pen, and under '_Things to do_ he scrawled '_Slit throats of Slayer and friends_', under that he wrote '_create a flying monkey servant/companion_' and then after a pause he added a third item '_pick up groceries_'. Because being evil didn't mean he shouldn't have well-balanced and nutritional meals.

* * *

The gang stood on the edge of the field and looked out at the ocean of poppies, and beyond that they could see the Emerald City, shining in the sun and looking more like the skyline of a modern day metropolis then the city from the film. After taking in the impressive sight that was the city, their eyes looked down at the poppy field they would have to pass through. Buffy scan the surrounding area but there clearly wasn't another route to the city, they would _have_ to go through the field.

"Any thoughts" Buffy asked.

"Well in the film the Tin man and Scarecrow can't breathe so they're immune, so Cordelia and Xander you'll be ok, but Buffy you, me and Oz, will be taking a dirt nap" said Willow.

"You know I run pretty fast, I bet I could get to the over side of the poppy field carrying Oz, before the sleeping spell takes hold. That would just leave you Will."

"I could probably run fast as well. I mean lions are fast right? But if I do fall a sleep Xander and Cordy could drag me out."

"We have a plan then" Buffy beamed.

"It says so much that your idea of a plan is _running fast and maybe having to drag an incapacitated lion_" Cordelia said as she took the oil can from Buffy's basket and oiled her own legs and arms in preparation.

"I didn't say it was one of our better plans but it'll get the job done. Oz may I?" Buffy asked him as she bent over with her arms out. Oz replied by jumping up into her arms, Buffy held him tightly so she wouldn't drop him, and then she ran.

* * *

The Witch had barely finished casting the spell when the girl had darted through the poppy field, but no matter it only took the spell seconds to work and…and…and the girl was a blur by the time the Witch had focused on Buffy she was clear on the other side of the field and on the Yellow brick road. The scarecrow was halfway across with the Tin girl, when the lion darted into the field and ran stealthily to the other side, with out so much as a yawn the group had made it across the poppy field.

"Mike. Fetch me my broom." The Wicked Witch, her skin usually green in hue showed shades of red as she fumed inwardly.

* * *

The Scooby gang congratulated themselves on getting through the field and then settled down to walk the short distance to the city. It only took perhaps 30 minutes to reach the wall surrounding the Emerald city, but unlike the film the wall wasn't made of Emerald, but of rock. The wall was built around the city, with a giant door the only means in, or out. The door was perhaps three stories high and made of wood, to the right was a large rope. Buffy pulled on the rope and somewhere within the sanctuary of the city, a bell chimed. After a few moments a small hatch in the large door opened a few feet above Xanders head.

An old weatherworn face peered down at them and then scrunched up in annoyance. "Well? What do you want?" the old man asked in a shrill voice.

"We've come to see the Great and Powerful Oz" Buffy asked sweetly, hiding the axe behind her back in case it gave off the wrong impression.

"Have you now, and do you have an appointment then, or are you just hoping to see the most powerful and sort after man in the whole of Oz at a moments notice? Just walk off the yellow brick road and straight into his office, hmm, speak up now." The doorman said thrusting his ear out at them.

"What are you his PA?" Xander snorted.

"Less lip, more pucker" Buffy whispered under her breath at Xander, and stepped forward with a wide smile but before she could speak the man began to.

"You do realise that your walking around with a tin woman, a scarecrow and a lion…I mean back in the day I took some acid but you see them right?" The man was squinting so hard his eyes had practically disappeared, Buffy was tempted to tell the man that yes he was having an acid flash back, but decided to go the polite route.

"No their really here, and we would really like to see the Wizard. Please." She tried to remember what had gotten the Dorothy through the front door in the film and smiling she lifted up her foot to show off one of the shoes.

"I am wearing the Ruby Slippers the Good Witch gave me."

The doorman was about to slam the hatch shut when he took in the shoes and giving a leer at Buffy's leg said "Well you better come on in then".

His head disappeared from the hatch and after a pause the giant door was opened and in went the gang. The street was busy with people going about their business. An old fashion horse-drawn carriage pulled up and the gang gawked at the bright pink horse. The Cabby took one look at the group assembled by the doorman and thought about driving off but the doorman was already loading up the group into the back off the carriage.

"Take these nice folks to the Wizard, will you". The doorman asked him.

Buffy waited but the Cabby didn't say anything, simple gave the horse, which was now orange, a hit with the reins and off they went.

"What no singing? No make over?" She asked, looking at the back of the Cabby's head.

In way of an answer the Cabby shrunk his head further down so his neck almost disappeared; he always found it was best to ignore the loons. Less chance of getting knifed that way.

"Guess not then" said Buffy. She sat back in her seat and with the others and watched the buildings and people of Oz as they rode to see the Wizard. All the buildings were green and gleamed in the light, an entire City made of Emeralds. They hadn't travelled far when the carriage stopped, he pointed at a tower across the street, with steps leading up to it and an open courtyard area in front. Taking this to mean that they were at their destination the Scooby gang disembarked the carriage and began to cross the street; all of a sudden there were gasps from the people of Oz and heads turned upwards towards the sky.

The Witched Witch was above them, to small to make out but of course they knew how the story went. She wrote the words _Die, Dorothy Die! W W W _in the sky above them.

"You give Witches a bad name Lady!" Yelled Willow at the departing figure of the Witch as she flew off on her broomstick.

A crowd of people had rushed to the door of the tower being held back by a guard, they were panicking and pleading to see the Wizard. The guard calmed down the crowd and shooed them on their way. Buffy strode other to the guard as the crowd disbursed, her friends following in her wake.

"We're here to see the Wizard Oz".

"Well no one can see the Wizard. I just finished telling the others, he's busy sorting out this Witch business so just move along now"

Buffy had tried to feel happy living through one of her favourite childhood films but this was getting old fast. She quickly socked the guard in the mouth, and with a dazed look on his face he fell to the ground.

"Buffy angry" said Xander impersonating the Incredible Hulks voice, causing Oz to let out a doggy snigger.

Buffy stepped over the prone guard and pushed opened the tower door. They entered the ridiculously long hallway, their footsteps echoing as they began to walk down towards a set of double doors at the end. As they neared the doors a whispered voice echoed "Oz…Oz…Oz" over and over, the words floating all around them. When they reached the doors Buffy gave a grunt of effort as she pushed them open and stepped into the throne room, at the same moment a voice began to boom "I am the Great Powerful Oz, tremble before me. TREMBLE". What the great Oz didn't realise was that Buffy was already at the curtain, pulling it back, revealing the 'real' wizard of Oz.

"Oh um, don't pay any attention to the man behind the curtain". The man said trying to pry the curtain from Buffy's strong grip.

"I thought that came later on in the film" Cordelia asked Xander.

"I think we've gone _off script_". He said to the others as they watched Buffy let go of the curtain and grip the collar of the Wizard, pulling him from out behind the curtain, and throwing him on to floor of the throne room.

Buffy looked down at the Wizard of Oz, the axe held in her hand, her pigtails swinging with her quick movements, and the 50's style pinafore dress making her look even younger. "I'm Buffy. The Vampire Slayer and I don't do the whole trembling thing, but, maybe _you_ should start".

* * *

Back in Sunnydale, Bartas had driven over to the Slayers house and parked across the street from her house. He opened the glove compartment and took out the knife. The blade was seven inches long, real silver with a sturdy helm. He used it for spells; killing the unlucky people he picked out of the street to be his blood sacrifices mainly, and for slicing lemons for his vodka tonics.

Bartas walked over to the door; he wished they would die how he had planned it. Stabbing them and leaving the room a bloody mess, lacked a certain…romance, it was just so…so…human. He cast a spell and the door flew open, he smirked at the ease off it all and strode into the house. At which the smirk fell away as he hit a force field that cause him to be thrown backwards.

"Might, I suggest that you piss off". Giles said standing by the death-still bodies of his teenage friends.

Bartas jumped to his feet and screamed, seething in the entrance way of the house, staring at the collected throats he should have been slashing at that very moment. To come so close and be denied was unbearable. He began to examine the man beyond the field, tried to gage his power, tried to sense what spell had been cast that had formed a protected shell around his prey.

"Your not strong enough to keep this up for ever, I'm more powerful then you" Bartas roared.

"Maybe you right" Giles said tilting his head to side as if in thought "but I'm not alone, I have help, right Ladies", the last part he directed at the phone. Over the ocean and through the phone, which was on speaker phone, came the disembodied voices of the Devon Coven as they carried on their incantation of protection.

"And your right you maybe more powerful then me but your not more powerful then them". Giles told the flabbergasted Bartas.

"You can't do that. That's cheating!"

"If I was you I'd release my friends from whatever spell you've got them under"

Bartas let out a scream, spittle flying from his mouth as his blood boiled with rage. "This isn't over Watcher!" he screamed before storming out the house.

Giles watched him go and then took in the bodies around him. He placed a hand on Buffy's forehand; it was cool, her whole body lifeless. If anyone but him had found the bodies they would have eventually been taken to the morgue and autopsied. He spoke in the phone "Keep up the good work" and then add in a whisper "I'm sure he's still lurking around somewhere", not really sure if he was talking to Buffy or to himself.

He then sat on the floor and began flipping through some books, looking for a reversal spell. Giles had arrived at the Summer's residence and on finding the seemingly dead teenagers his heart had stopped and he had fallen to his in disappear it was then that he had heard their voices. He had looked up and saw them on the television screen and taken in their defenceless bodies and put together the pieces. Reacting quickly he had contacted his friends in Devon, and had them place a protection spell over the room, and then confidante that they were safe he had sped over to the school library and retrieved all the books he could carry that could possibly help him, before returning to the Summer's House. He tried to concentrate on the books but his gaze was pulled to the screen and on seeing Buffy he refocused his attention of finding an answer.

* * *

Oz trotted over to Buffy and sitting down on his haunches he said to the room "You know for a second there I thought the Wizard was gonna be Giles".

"Me too" Xander said.

"So, what now?" Cordelia asked as she used the reflective surface of the nearest wall to check out her tin body.

"Look we know you're no Wizard, just some guy who flew in here in a hot air balloon, and using all that hot air talked yourself into the job of Ruler of Oz."

"How…How…Do you know all that?" The older man asked from his foetal like position on the floor.

"We are all knowing and all powerful" Xander said rubbing his temples as if being all knowing and powerful was hurting his brain.

"You know, no matter how hard you rub you'll never be able to find your brain. Even when you were human you probably would have had a hard time finding it".

"Gee thanks Cordy, I was trying to set a tone with him. Anyway if I'm so challenged in the brain department doesn't that say more about you then me?"

"What can I say I like them cute and dumb" she reached over and placed her cold lips on his clothe skin cheek.

During this interlude Buffy had felt some compassion for the Wizard and had helped him to his feet. Whilst brushing himself down he asked them "So what happens now?"

"Well you can get yourself out of here on your balloon, whilst me and my friends here will go kill the Wicked Witch of the West."

"We will?" Xander asked.

"Well we have to keep to the script as best as we can, to be safe."

During this brief exchange, when the focus was off him the wizard had edged closer to the side door of the throne room, and before anyone could notice he opened the door and ran towards the courtyard where his balloon was being kept.

The others had turned just in time to see the back of the fleeing Wizard.

"So much for the Great and Powerful Oz" said Cordy.

The others made their way out of the Throne room, down the hall and outside on to the streets of Oz. They walked all the way back the entrance of Oz, the doorman was leaning against the wall, smoking a sly fag.

"So did you get to see the Big Man then?"

"Yes we saw him alright" Buffy said.

"Well good for you, many don't. Actually," he said scratching his head in thought "hardly ever see him around at all, like having a ghost running the place, but he is the Boss. What would I know! So where are you folks off to now?"

"Where going to go the Wicked Witch of the West"

"Really, are you sure? I mean no offence but she is very powerful, has a fortress and an large army guarding that fortress" The doorman said as he began to open the large door.

"I'm sure we'll manage." said Buffy "So this fortress, how do you get there?"


End file.
